Circulatim Series

Book 1 of the Circulatim trilogy A gay teen, coming-of-age romance with spiritual and religious overtones that stands on its own, though the first part of a trilogy. 287K words. As Alex's sixteenth birthday arrives, his family is planning one party while his best friends plan another. That his friends are keeping where their party is to be held a secret bothers him. Secrets can be fun, but they can also be trouble. And Alex has many secrets - especially Toby. His best friend, Tom, knows most of his secrets; that Alex is gay, that he is falling for his second-best friend, Jeff, who is straight, and that Alex is no virgin. His friends have secrets too, and during the party thrown by them he is going to learn a few. And he is going to reveal some of his own. But the parties are only the beginning. As the ghost of Toby haunts him, one special gift will change the lives of Alex and his family, as well as the lives of his friends. They will all learn that death is always near, and that those who have passed on aren't always far away. Can Alex maintain his secrets? Can he ever be free of his past? Can he find love again? Can he ever be happy? Some things said about THE CIRCLE "As soon as I finished I went back and started over!" "Alex and his friends are in my head! I can't get them out and I don't want them out! I want sequels! Now!" "The Circle did what a great story should do. I cried, I laughed, I smiled, I got angry, I loved it!" "Thank you so much for sharing your gift with us. I enjoyed the story so much over the past few days that now I need to catch up on my sleep." "Late nights, late mornings, lost meals all attest to the magnetic almost hypnotic spell it held me in. Now that its over I don't know how to feel except as if my best friends all moved away!" "Thank you for a long, complex story worth the time to read. The characters are believable, as is the story. It is full of emotions, from simple fun to the complications of love and hate. Well done!" "Wow. What more can I say? Fell into the story and had to keep reading to the end to climb back out. Beautifully written, deeply moving. I laughed and I cried as I fell in love with the guys." "I thank you for writing it. I was captivated by the storyline and spent all my spare time in the last week reading it. I enjoyed every chapter, and I'm happy it was there for me to enjoy." "I am in tears as I write this. The story kept my attention through the whole thing. I couldn't stop reading and I felt so badly for Alex's pain. .... I wanted so much to reach through the screen and take it all away." "I don't think I have ever written an author of any kind before, but I can't resist complimenting you for The Circle, which has to be absolutely the most realistic, absorbing story I can remember ever seeing. It's one of those that you literally have to tear yourself away from!" "I am practically overwhelmed.The more I read, the better it got. And it just got better, and Better, and BETTER! I laughed, and I cried. I rejoiced, and I wept. Openly. And now that I'm done, I don't really have words to describe my ultimate feelings. Overwhelmed? Well perhaps; it's indeed a memorable and extraordinarily moving tale. Well done!" "First off, I should say that I'm mad as hell at you for bringing to life Alex and his pals with such realism that I felt angry and upset when they were hurting. Alex and the guys are in my head now, almost like renters. I see them as clearly as my own reflection, mostly pointing and giggling like there's some immense prank about to be offloaded. Young, deep, fascinated by life and full of both wondrous imagination and emotional strength and wisdom drawn from common sense and an ability to embrace the truths of life without letting them overwhelm. And completely living in the moment, loving spiritually, sticking together. Pals."

A month passes that changes Alex's life forever. Alex recuperates and returns to school, a school that knows that he is gay and that he had "almost" died in a fire. His very best friend is acting strangely, and keeping secrets from him for the first time. His other best friend is now his lover, but it doesn't fit either of them well. Alex's circle of friends seems to be shrinking, and even his favorite teacher now treats him differently. Everything was different. And the nightmares... Surprising acquaintances vie for his time and lead him into a strange circle of friends, and back into a hobby he had given up. A hobby that raised a ghost from the past only recently laid to rest. The week of final exams arrives, and Alex finds himself barely keeping up with current lessons. Distractions like Erich, and other old friends as well, take up his time, as well as new ones, like Kevin and the gang, and David. And Alex wasn't sure he could do what they expected him to do. Torn apart from the familiar support of the Circle, moving in a strange circle of new friends, he is stunned to come face to face with an even older ghost from his past than Toby. How much more could he handle?

As life seems to settle into a new normal, Alex begins to relax. Perhaps too soon. The entire school knows he's gay, and suspect all of his friends are as well. That weighs heavily on him. He'd come out to his friends, and the Circle members had already accepted it. He'd tried a relationship with is second-best friend, but it hadn't worked out, and now they were back to being friends. He was now part of the best band in school, and accepted by the band members. And they were now part of the Circle as well. And the incredibly attractive David was becoming a major distraction. Now, David and the band guys pressure Alex into doing things he's not sure he's ready to do. And he still has to deal with the arrival of Trey out of his past, and fixing things with him proves to be much more difficult than Alex hoped. And there are issues at school as well.Threats materialize from the student body, and Alex begins to feel the pressure of being hated and reviled, just as he'd feared. And yet another shadow from Alex's past arises, bringing more complications. Life is never simple or easy, but for Alex, it seems life has a special grudge against him, and that death is never far away.